In the year 1931, in the small Texas town of Kingsville, a little girl named Irma Lerma Rangel was born.

Irma was the youngest of three daughters. She had hardworking parents who owned family businesses, where Irma and her sisters worked alongside them. Her parents valued education and taught their daughters to stand up for what was right.

Irma attended an all-Mexican American elementary school and later attended Kingsville's integrated high school. Irma and her family experienced discrimination, but her parents taught her not to accept injustice.

Irma graduated from college in Kingsville, Texas, and became a teacher. She taught in South Texas, California, and even Venezuela! At age 35, Irma decided to follow a new dream. She went back to school to become a lawyer. In 1969, she graduated from St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio.